Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-24

| lrlDune suggests eOWe iuseteoi"k AeSs' w.
nected with the history of the consumption!
of ice and the sources of supply of that indis
pensable article during recent years.
Prior to 1870 all ice used south of the Poto
mac river was obtained through the port o
Boston, from small ponds in Massachusetts
The CITY of Washington derived its supply
from the Potomac river, Baltimore from thu
Susouehanna, and Philadelphia from thu
Schuylkill. The winter of 1870 was unusually
, mild throughout the country. There was ar
entire failure of the ice crop south OF New
|, England, and almost an entire failure in New
England south of Maine. Under these cir
cumstances there was large and unusual
demand for Maine ice of which the greater
part was furnished by the Kennebec river,
several new and extensive houses being built
for that purpose After 1870 the southern
dealer expected and made determined effort
TO return to his former source of supply; but
the experiment of transporting Maine ice,
long distances, without great waste and at
moderate cost had been successfully accom-
plished.
The consumer had tested its purity and its
lasting quality, and had appreciated the
beauty of its transparency.
The Maine dealer had invested his capital
and was to the field for a market. The con-
test was sharp and close; but the Potomac
the Susquehanna, and the Schuylkill sur
rendered, and the operators on those rivers
came in the Kennebec and built some OF the
largest establishments on the river. Their
signs are the most conspicuous objects on
the ice houses between Augusta and Rich
| mond.
The Great Falls and Independent Ice Com
panies of Washington, Cochrane & Oler, and
lTerry Lara & Co., of Baltimore, and the
Knickerbocker and the Delaware Ice Com
panies of Philadelphia, have permanent ice
houses on the Kennebec.
In 1871, one of the oldest Boston dealers
asked, "what will become of all the ice
houses on the Kennebec?" referring to those
built under the stimulus of 1870 To day
the same individual is the owner of more
than one ice privilege in Maine, and gets
large part of his stock of ice from this State.
In fact. it may be SAID that quite all the ice
consumed south of New York, comes from
the Kennebec river. Perhaps the most inter-
esting fact in connection with this revolution
in the business, is the reduced cost of storing
and Transporting ice to southern points.
| In 1870 it cost to elevate and store on board
vessel, ton OF ice, about $l.50. Now it
can be done for less than one dollar.
| In 1870 the freight rate was Sl.50 per
ton, and towage 20 cents per ton; and cargoes
averaged not over 400 tons. Nov the towage
is 10 to IL cents, freight about so cents, and
cargoes average nearer one thousand tons
with correspondingly less waste in transit.
A citizen of Washington actually has in
his dinner goblet CONCEALED section of the
pure Kennebec river water for less money
than he formerly paid for the impure, filthy
and "bacteria" laden ice of the Potomac.
In such just estimation is Maine ice held
that cargo of ice of quality inferior to
good Kennebec ice can hardly be given away
south of New York. The attempt to intro
duce even good eastern pond ice has failed.
The demand is imperative for the river ice.
The export of ice from Maine has in
creased from less than 10000 tons in 1869
to more than one million tons annually The
Kennebec which furnishes the greater part OF
this amount is the only river of the United
States emptyng into the Atlantic ocean
which comprises all the requirements for a
successful trade in pure ice, unfailing crops
and navigable water. Its water is pure be.
cause it is not polluted in its course. because
its great reservoir is Moosehead Lake forty
miles long and twenty wide, surrounded by
, prmeval forests, itself in turn supplied by
thousands of mountain springs and brooks
} and it is pure because disease germs if any
exist cannot retain power for mischief under
. a protracted temperature of 20 to 40 degrees
below zero. The ice crop of this river never
fails and it is the only river with ice having
many miles of navigable water of sufficien
depth to float large vessels which may lay
. under the huge ice houses which rise on it
banks and receive ice from their shute
directly into the hold.
If, as Dr. PruddeL has demonstrated, tn,
water of the Hudson river is nothing but
saturated solution of typhoid germs; if
citizen of Savannah, when ice costs fifteer
? dollars ton will insist on having Maine ice
( If citizen of Washington when ice cost
eight dollars ton will have only Kennebe
ice, an inquisitive person might inquire VIII.
the New Yorker, who might have Ken
: nebec ice for five dollars ton will continu
to use the filthy discolore6, thin, trail, dis
, ease promoting Hudson River ice?
l The ice business of New York is in tn
! control of a gigantic monopoly. One com
, pany alone furnishes the greater part of tn
the ice used in New York, jersey City an
C Brooklyn. The ice companies have YER
extensive houses on the Hudson rive
with a very large capital invested i
them and the steamers and barges employs
e in bringing the ice to the cities. The ic
field of the Hudson is not much more tina
!, 100 miles from New York. The river i
b summer is the canal by which, in barges O
/. great size, and at very small cost the ice i
brought to market. While crop Of clear ic
! on the Hudson is an exception rather than